1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to jewelry, and more particularly to a clasp assembly for jewelry.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people suffer from arthritis in the joints of the hand. Arthritis is a problem that causes a wearing away of normal joint surfaces, defined as cartilage wear. Joints are the points where two bones meet each other. These junctions have special linings on the bones to allow motion at the joints. When this special lining, cartilage, is worn away, arthritis is the condition that results.
There are two types of arthritis that commonly affect the fingers and thumb. These are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease and wear-and-tear arthritis, is the most common type of arthritis. In this condition, the normal cartilage is steadily worn away, exposing bare bone at the joints. The most commonly affected joints in the fingers are the knuckles of the mid-finger and fingertip, the PIP and DIP joints, and the joint at the base of the thumb. Symptoms of hand arthritis include: joint pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of motion.
Individuals with osteoarthritis often develop lumps or nodules around the knuckles of the fingers. These lumps are called Heberden's nodes, when around the more distant knuckle, or Bouchard's nodes, when around the closer knuckle, and actually consist of bone spurs, or osteophytes, around the joints. These knuckles often become enlarged, swollen, and stiff.
Rheumatoid arthritis causes a different type of joint destruction. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease that can cause a number of problems. Among these, rheumatoid arthritis can cause inflammation of the lining of joints. The most commonly affected joints in the hand are the knuckles at the base of the fingers, the MCP joints.
Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis often have the aforementioned symptoms, but can also have more complex deformities of the hands. These include deformities such as a “Boutonniere” or “swan neck” deformity. The fingers may begin to shift from their normal position, and drift away from the thumb.
Presently, it is impossible for some individuals to wear rings on fingers as jewelry. For those individuals that are able to wear rings on fingers, the selection of fingers may be limited and is often discomforting to place on and remove since the rings are a fixed size and must slide over knuckles of the fingers.
There are no clasp assemblies for jewelry to the best of applicant's knowledge that allow individuals with arthritis, or otherwise large and/or swollen finger knuckles or joints to wear rings around phalanges by clasping the rings below the knuckles without having to slide over the knuckles.